Golf swing apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for improving the consistency and effectiveness of a golfer&#39;s swing. In a first aspect of the invention, a gyroscope is mounted in the head of a gold club has a rotor which is rotated by a small electric motor. A pair of dry cell batteries and a push type “on/off” switch In a grip of the golf club turn the motor on and off. The batteries are connected to the motor with a pair of wires which extend through a tubular golf club shaft. The rotational plane of the rotor is parallel to the face of the golf club head which strikes a golf ball. When the rotor is rotated, changes in the plane of rotation or spin axis of the rotor are resisted by the angular momentum of the rotor, thereby producing reaction torques which are sensed by a golfer. The reaction torques inform the golfer of the release of the club and changes in the path of travel. In a second aspect, the invention the gyroscope is mounted directly on an end of a golf club shaft.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for improving a golfer's swing and more particularly to an apparatus and method for controlling the motion and point of release of a golf club.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Golf, once considered as a pastime of the rich, has become a national sport for all levels of society. Methods and books for improving golf swings are notoriously present in the art. Although swings have been extensively analyzed and documented, as yet there is little agreement on an apparatus or method for optimizing a golf swing.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,971,328; 5,221,088; 5,249,967; 6,261,189; and 7,097,459 are exemplary of the types of apparatus which exist in the art for improving a golfer's swing.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,328 discloses a golf swing apparatus for comparing a light beam emitted from a golf club head during a golfer's swing with a guide strip on the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,088 discloses a golf swing apparatus wherein foot and grip sensors emit audible signals, via a pair of earphones which are indicative of the weight applied by the feet and the pressure applied to the hand grip. The signals are compared with a specified range of signals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,967 discloses a video golf swing training apparatus for comparing live images of a golfer's wing with self generating templates. U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,189 discloses a golf swing apparatus in which club shaft and body movements are monitored with infra red rays and sensors. If the rays fall out of an optimized area, an audible signal is generated. U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,459 discloses a golf swing apparatus wherein colored reference points are placed on a golf club shaft and golfer's head and the like. A moving image is taken of the golfer's swing, converted into a plurality of still images which are stored in a computer. Items to be checked are expressed by numeric values which are compared with judging data imputed into the computer.

Golf swing fall into three categories, namely putts, short chips and full swings. Putts and chips are ideally played without much body movement, however most other shots are variants of the full swing. Two major areas which distinguish golfers are the consistent results and effectiveness of the full golf swing.

A full golf swing is a complex rotation of the body for aiming and accelerating a golf club head to a great speed. The transfer of momentum from a golf club to a golf ball determines the travel of the golf ball. Professional golfers can achieve a club head speed of more than 100 M.P.H. at the bottom of a swing. Some champion golfers have attained speeds above 100 M.P.H. For a right-handed golfer, a swing consists of a back swing to the right, a downswing to the left in which a golf ball is struck with a driver club and a follow through. At the initial point in time, referred to a “the address,” a player 20 stands with his left hip and shoulder pointing in the intended direction of ball flight, with the ball between his feet.

The club is held with both hands with the golf head resting on the ground behind the ball, hips and knees somewhat flexed and the arms hanging from the shoulders. As shown in FIG. 1, the back swing 21 is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player's body to the right, a turning of the pelvis and the shoulders, a lifting of arms and flexing of elbows and wrists. At the end of the back swing, the hands are above the right shoulder, with the club pointing more or less in the direction of ball flight.

During the downswing 22, the club head is accelerated downwardly, increasing in momentum until it strikes the ball. The follow-through stage after the ball is struck with the head face, consists of a continued rotation to the left. The golfer's weight has shifted almost entirely to his left foot, his body is fully turned to the left and his hands are above the left shoulder and the club hangs down over his back

A backspin is imparted to the ball during almost every shot because of the golf club's loft. The spinning ball experiences an upwards force which makes it fly higher and farther than a ball without spin. The spinning also affects the behavior of the ball when it strikes the ground, usually preventing the ball from rolling at all, perhaps even backwards. Sidespin occurs when the club face is not perpendicular with the plane of the swing when the ball is struck, causing the ball to curve to the left, for right-handed players referred to as a “draw” or to the right, referred to as a fade. Accomplished golfers will sometimes use sidespin to steer the ball around obstacles, but it is difficult to control or to predict the amount of spin.

It has been recognized that the rotation of a golfer's wrist and the orientation of a golfer's wrist during a golf swing influence on the outcome of the golf swing. It has also been recognized that two aspects of a swing substantially affect the outcome of the full swing. One aspect is the beginning of the rotation of the golfer's wrists, often referred to as “the release,” which occurs near the end of the downswing. As used herein, the terms “release”, “point of release”, “release of a golf club head” and “release of a golf club” refer to the rotation of a golfer's wrists at an end portion of a downward swing. Tests have shown that for optimum results, a release should occur shortly before a ball is struck. An early release negatively affects the velocity of the club head when impact occurs and hence the distance the ball travels. Early releases, called “casting,” can also significantly affect the outcome of a swing, causing a loss of power.

A second aspect is the orientation of the club face with respect to the plane of club head travel (swing). Unless the golfer intends to use sidespin, the club head face should be parallel to the plane of travel of the club head. Although a great deal of attention has been given to the posture of a golfer during the “presentation” and swing. Heretofore. an effective apparatus and method have been unavailable for controlling the motion of a golf club head and informing a golfer of the point of release.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The two bell weathers of this invention are consistency and effectiveness, aspects which all professional golfers work to improve. Results have shown that the invention can significantly improve a golfer's game. One object of the invention is to improve the consistency and effectiveness of a golfer's swing. Another object of the invention is to extend the driving range of a golfer's swing. Another object is to improve the accuracy of a golfer's swing. Another object is to provide a training aid for improving a golfer's swing. With these objects in mind, an apparatus and method are provided for controlling motion of a driver golf club and informing a golfer of the point of release of a golf club head. The invention resides in the application of a gyroscope to a golf club swing. The law of conservation of angular momentum requires a rapidly spinning rotor to maintain its plane of rotation unless acted upon by an external torque. If acted upon by an external torque, a reaction torque will occur which is sensed by a golfer.

In a first aspect of the invention a gyroscope and a small electric motor are mounted inside of a driver golf club head. The small electric motor is connected to the gyroscope's rotor and driven by batteries mounted in a grip (handle) of the golf club. An “on/off” switch in an outer end portion of the grip actuates the motor and hence the rotation of the rotor. The motor is connected to the batteries by a pair of wires which are routed inside of a tubular golf club shaft.

The rotation of the gyroscope rotor is actuated before the swing is initiated, During a downswing of the driver golf club, the angular momentum of the rapidly spinning rotor tends to maintain the club head face parallel to the plane of the swing. When the head is released to rotate the head face into a plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the swing, and back to parallel on the follow through, a reaction torque is produced which is sensed by the golfer. A reaction torque, at a lesser level is also sensed if the parallel relationship of the head face to the plane of the golf swing is not maintained.

In a second aspect, the invention is intended to be used as a golf swing training aid. The gyroscope is mounted at the end of the golf club shaft. A pair of dry cell batteries and an “on/off” switch are mounted in the grip at the opposite end of the shaft.

In employing the teaching of the present invention, a plurality of alternate constructions can be provided to achieve the desired results and capabilities. In this disclosure, only a single embodiment is presented for the purpose of disclosing my invention. However, this embodiment is intended as an example only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of my invention.

The foregoing features, benefits, objects and best mode of practicing the invention and additional benefits and objects will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description of a preferred embodiment and the subject matter in which exclusive property rights are claimed is set forth in the numbered claims which are appended to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and further objects, characterizing features, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly with reference to the diagrammatic drawings illustrating a presently preferred specific embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example only.

FIG. 1 shows a golfer and the path of a golf swing.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a driver golf club and an electric motor driven gyroscope according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional showing the interior of the grip of the golf club.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through a golf club grip.

FIG. 5 is a partial bottom view of the golf club.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a driver golf club shaft and an electric motor driven gyroscope mounted at an end of the shaft according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 7-7 in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, in FIGS. 2 through 4, inclusive, a driver golf club 24 and gyroscope 25 are mounted in a golf club head 23. Except for a small protuberance 26 on the head 23 of the club 24 and a small button 27 at the end of a grip 28 (handle), the appearance of the driver golf club 24 is conventional. The golf club 24 is comprised of the head 24, a gyroscope 25, a pair of batteries 38, a switch 39, a hollow shaft 29 and the grip 28.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gyroscope 25 is comprised of a rotor 30 mounted for rotation and a fixed frame 31. A shaft 32 which drives the rotor 30 is straddle mounted in the frame 31 and is connected to a small electric motor 33. With reference to FIG. 5, the frame 31 is mounted on a removable cover 34 which is attached to the bottom of the head 23 with threaded fasteners 35. The motor 33 is attached to the frame 31 with a pair of threaded fasteners 36. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotational plane of the rotor 30 is parallel to the face 46 of the club head 23 which strikes a ball.

A pair of wires 37 extend from the motor 33 through the hollow shaft 29 to the pair of dry cell batteries 38 in the grip 28. The “on/off” switch 39 at the end of the grip 28 closes a circuit of the batteries 38 and electric motor 33.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a golf swing training aide 40 is shown in which the golf club head is eliminated. The gyroscope 25 and electric motor 33 are mounted in a 2-piece frame 42 which is attached to the end of a tubular drive golf club shaft 42 for use as the golf swing training aid 40. The 2-piece frame 41 is comprised of a motor mounting half 43 and a cover half 44. One end of a tubular golf club shaft 42 is attached to the cover half 43. The motor mounting half 43 and cover half 44 are connected with threaded fasteners 45.

The preferred manner of using the invention is as follows. The gyroscope 25 is activated by pushing the exposed button 27 of the “on/off” switch 39. At the initial point of the swing, referred to a “the address”, the driver club 24 is held with both hands, the golf head 23 resting on the ground behind a ball, hips and knees somewhat flexed and arms hanging from the shoulders. A right handed player stands with his left hip and shoulder pointing in the intended direction of ball flight and the ball between his feet, the swing begins with a back swing 21 to the right, followed by a downswing to the left 22 in which the golf ball is struck with the head 23 of the driver club 24 and ends with a follow through.

During the back swing rotation to the right, the player's body is shifted to the right, a turning occurs of the player's pelvis and shoulders, his arms lifted and his elbows and wrists twisted. At the top of the back swing 21, the downswing 22 occurs in which the head face 46 and rotational plane of the gyroscope rotor 30 remains substantially parallel to the plane of the swing. The angular momentum of the rapidly spinning rotor 30 resists deviations of the club head face 46 from being parallel to the plane of the swing.

As the golf head 23 approaches the bottom of the downswing 22, the golfer 20 releases the golf head 23, i.e. rotates his wrist to orient the club head face 46 perpendicular to the plane of the swing for striking the golf ball. When the release occurs, there is an equal and opposite reaction to the rotation of the wrist which is felt by the golfer 20. At the end of the release, the rotational plane of the rotor 30 has a parallel relationship with the plane of the swing. After impact with the ball, the right handed player follows through by a continued rotation to the left. The swing ends with the player's weight has shifted almost entirely to his left foot, his body is fully turned to the left and his hands above the left shoulder and the club hanging down over his back.

Thus, a player can sense deviations of a club head face 46 from the plane of a swing and can relate the point of release to the outcome a golf swing with my apparatus and method. Although only two embodiments of my invention have been described, it is not my intention to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments since other embodiments can be developed by obvious changes by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit thereof. 

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A swing training aide assembly comprising: a shaft; and a gyroscope mounted to an end section of said shaft opposite a grip section of said shaft.
 13. The assembly as recited in claim 12, further comprising a head mounted to said shaft to at least partially surround said gyroscope.
 14. The assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said shaft is hollow.
 15. The assembly as recited in claim 14, further comprising at least one battery mounted within said hollow shaft adjacent said grip section of said shaft.
 16. The assembly as recited in claim 15, further comprising an electric motor to drive said gyroscope, said at least one battery in electrical communication with said gyroscope to provide power therefor.
 17. The assembly as recited in claim 15, further comprising a grip mounted over said grip section of said shaft.
 18. The assembly as recited in claim 17, further comprising a switch mounted to said grip to operatively control said electric motor.
 19. The assembly as recited in claim 18, wherein said switch includes an ON/OFF switch.
 20. The assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said shaft defines a shaft axis and said gyroscope rotatable about a gyroscope axis generally transverse to said shaft axis.
 21. The assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said shaft defines a shaft axis and said gyroscope rotatable about a gyroscope axis perpendicular to said shaft axis.
 22. A golf swing training aide assembly comprising: a hollow shaft which defines an axis; a gyroscope mounted to an end section of said hollow shaft opposite a grip section of said shaft, said gyroscope rotatable about a gyroscope axis non-parallel to said shaft axis; an electric motor to power said gyroscope; and a power supply mounted within said hollow shaft to power said electric motor.
 23. The assembly as recited in claim 22, further comprising a head mounted to said shaft to at least partially surround said gyroscope, said head formed from at least two separable portions.
 24. The assembly as recited in claim 23, wherein said head defines a head face
 25. The assembly as recited in claim 24, wherein said gyroscope axis is generally perpendicular to said face.
 26. The assembly as recited in claim 24, wherein said head face is operable to strike a golf ball.
 27. The assembly as recited in claim 22, further comprising a grip mounted over a portion of said grip section of said shaft opposite said gyroscope.
 28. A method of controlling a swing training aide assembly comprising the steps of: (A) gyroscopically establishing a swing plane of a golf swing training aide assembly with a gyroscope mounted to an end section of said shaft opposite a grip section of said shaft; and (B) providing feedback relative to said step (A) which represents deviation of a face of the golf swing training aide assembly from a perpendicular relationship with the swing plane.
 29. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein said step (A) further comprises: (a) defining a gyroscope axis of a gyroscope mounted to the golf swing training aide, the gyroscope axis non-parallel to a shaft axis of a shaft.
 30. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein said step (B) further comprises: (a) providing the feedback in response to angular momentum provided by a gyroscope mounted to an end section of a shaft.
 31. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein said step (B) further comprises: (b) providing the feedback in response to a release of the golf swing training aide assembly during a downswing.
 32. (canceled) 